The best electric estate cars to buy in 2024 (and beyond)
James Batchelor
3 Jan 2024
The estate might have become a little unfashionable in recent years due to the irresistible rise of SUVs and crossovers, but the days of the good old family load-lugger are on their way back – and it's all thanks to electricity.
While there are numerous electric SUVs on the market (and will continue to be for the foreseeable future), electric propulsion and large body dimensions don't go hand in hand. Smooth, aerodynamic shapes are an EV battery's best friend. And estate cars can offer as much – and more in a lot of cases – space than an SUV, but in a slippery, wind-cheating shape that'll do wonders for your electric range.
We'll admit from the outset the choice of pure electric estate cars is currently very limited (it's actually two, okay?), but the sector is set to grow considerably over the next few years. Read on to find out which electric estate cars you can purchase right now or in the near future.
Let's start off with an electric estate car that you won't be able to buy for some time – but it'll be big news once it arrives.
In April 2023 Skoda shocked quite a few people by dropping details of not one or two forthcoming electric cars, but six. One of those will be what's imaginatively called (for the time being at least) the "Estate". It's due in 2026 and will be around 4.7 metres long, roughly around the same size as the current Octavia and a little smaller than the MG5.
No battery or range figures have been revealed, but we would imagine it'll recycle the parts used in the Skoda Enyaq, so a 350-mile range. And judging by the current Octavia and Superb estates, it'll be very roomy inside and packed with lots of clever, practical touches.
While Skoda has to wait to get its electric estate car, parent firm Volkswagen has free rein to launch one far sooner.
Volkswagen will put into production its ID. Space Vizzion concept later this year, initially as a saloon, followed by an estate version. But don't go thinking this will be a boxy estate like the old Volkswagen Passat – the Vizzion concept car and spy photos of the ID.7 Estate testing show the German firm is going for a slippery design with a low, swooping roofline.
Powering the VW load-lugger will be 77kWh and 82kWh battery packs with a maximum range of 382 miles. Rear-wheel drive models will be launched first and there's every chance a powerful GTX range-topper will arrive soon after. VW is expected to reveal the ID.7 range later in 2023 before cars arrive in dealers in 2024.
BMW launched the i5 – or "electric 5 Series" as it unofficially goes by – in 2023 and estate car fans won't have to wait too long for the more practical i5 Touring version. BMW has been selling the 5 Series for 50 years now and has clocked up over 10 million sales in that time, so the car going electric in the form of the i5 is rather a big deal.
The 5 Series Touring has always been loved by the middle classes and the i5 Touring will likely continue that trend. What's also likely is that the Touring will initially be available with the i5 Saloon's 81.2kWh battery and choice of models – a rear-wheel drive eDrive40 and an all-wheel drive M60 xDrive. With the Saloon, BMW quotes a range of up to 362 miles for the eDrive40 and 321 miles for the more sporty M60, so expect something similar from the estate version.
BMW hasn't confirmed any details about the Touring's practicality credentials, but we'd expect it to offer a bit more room than the current 5 Series Touring's 560-litre boot.
5. Audi A6 Avant e-tron
Expected: 2024 Range: 450 miles
The BMW i5 Touring's chief competition will be in the shape of this – Audi's A6 Avant e-tron. Just as the i5 is an electric 5 Series, the e-tron is an electric version of the Audi A6 and the Avant version will be the German brand's first ever electric estate car.
The A6 will debut Audi's new cleaner, more subtle design for future electric cars, while underneath it'll use something called the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. Sounds very fancy but essentially it'll be the same platform the Volkswagen Group uses for the electric Porsche Macan SUV and the Audi Q6 E-tron. Far more importantly, PPE – the platform not face masks – can accommodate a circa-100kWh battery, which should give a range of well over 400 miles and a maximum charging rate of 270kW. With credentials like that, it'll mean the A6 could in theory add 186 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
Audi hasn't given any details on the drivetrain or on the interior, but we'd guess the inside will be broadly equivalent to the current A6 Avant, so 565 litres which is roughly the same as the BMW 5 Series Touring's boot.
The A6 Avant will have one of the fastest charging rates around
4. Vauxhall Astra Electric Sports Tourer
Expected: 2023 Range: 258 miles
Ah, now we're getting to the electric estate cars that are just around the corner, and we're starting with this. Later in 2023, you'll be able to walk into your local Vauxhall dealership and place an order for one of these – the Electric Sports Tourer.
Boot space is pretty good for a small family estate car – 516 litres with the seats up and 1,553 with them folded – and Vauxhall is very proud of the fact that’s identical to the Plug-in Hybrid version of the same car. Unsurprisingly, the Sports Tourer uses the same powertrain as the Astra Electric hatchback, so there's Stellantis's (Vauxhall's parent company) latest 54kWh battery and 153bhp electric motor combo. The British brand claims a range of up to 258 miles from a charge.
Vauxhall hasn't confirmed pricing and specifications yet, but we would guess it'll come in GS and Ultimate trims with prices starting from around £42,000. As our Nicola recently discovered when she drove the Astra Electric Hatchback, that'll be a lot of cash for something that's pretty unremarkable to drive.
Vauxhall is another company which is allergic to the word 'estate'. This is a Sports Tourer.
3. Peugeot e-308 SW
Range: 258 miles Expected: 2023
Appearing at pretty much the same time as the Vauxhall, Peugeot dealers will be celebrating the arrival of their electric estate car – the e-308 SW. Why the near identical launch times? Well, they’re essentially the same car.
Sure, the Peugeot has arguably a more stylish design (although there’s not much in it) and the interior feels just a little better finished than the British-badged barge, but underneath it’s exactly the same – so, a 54kWh battery and 153bhp electric motor, giving a range of up to 258 miles.
Unlike Vauxhall, the French firm hasn’t said how much room you’ll get in an e-308 SW. But given that the Astra Electric Sports Tourer has exactly the same boot space as the plug-in hybrid version, we can safely assume the electric 308 SW will have the same space as the plug-in 308 SW. Expect Peugeot to confirm our prediction of 548 litres with the seats up and 1,574 with them down, soon; that’s really good for a car of this size and more than the Vauxhall.
Range: Up to 305 miles From: £80,200 (Cross Turismo: £88,200)
Right, an EV load-lugger you can go and buy today – hurrah! The Sport Turismo is not a traditional, boxy estate car, but it does offer more space than the regular Porsche Taycan four-door coupe, both for rear seat passengers and in the boot.
There's a range of models to choose from, including an entry-level 'Sport Turismo' with 402bhp and a 741bhp Turbo S version. Entry-level models get a 71kWh battery, which can be upgraded to an 84kWh one should you wish; higher performance versions get the bigger battery. Range wise, around 270 miles is quoted for the 71kWh battery and 285-305 miles for the large battery.
The Sport Turismo only comes with four seats, although for £371 you can go for the 4+1 seat pack. As the name suggests, it doesn't add another seat in between the two rear chairs – it’s more like a perch for a fifth person on short journeys. The 446-litre boot is around 100 litres more than the regular Taycan coupe, and when you fold down the seats there's 1,296 litres of space.
For a more rugged look, there's also the Cross Turismo that sits higher off the ground and has rugged plastic panels to protect the car if you dare venture off-road.
The first, proper electric estate car to go on sale in Britain was the MG5 in 2020, and plenty of other carmakers are playing catch-up.
The Chinese-owned British brand gave its leccy load-lugger a big facelift in 2022, but didn't mess around with the car's 61.1kWh battery pack, 154bhp electric motor and 249-mile range. Being a facelift, the interior dimensions remained unchanged too, so there's a useful 464 litres of space, rising to 1,367 litres with the seats folded.
It gets a good amount of kit thrown in as standard, and is very reasonably priced with a seven-year warranty. There's even vehicle-to-load capability allowing owners to charge up pretty much anything with a plug.
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